science

Dunnart

Dunnart is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Dunnart rather than just read about it. In short: A dunnart (from Noongar donat) is a narrow-footed marsupial the size of a European mouse, of the genus Sminthopsis. Dunnarts have a largely insectivorous diet.

Key takeaways

Dunnart belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Dunnart to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Dunnart from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A dunnart (from Noongar donat) is a narrow-footed marsupial the size of a European mouse, of the genus Sminthopsis. Dunnarts have a largely insectivorous diet.

Taxonomy

The genus name Sminthopsis was published by Oldfield Thomas in 1887, the author noting that the name Podabrus that had previously been used to describe the species was preoccupied as a genus of beetles. The type species is Phascogale crassicaudata, published by John Gould in 1844. There are 19 species, all of them in Australia or New Guinea:

Genus Sminthopsis S. crassicaudata species-group Fat-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis crassicaudata S. macroura species-group Kakadu dunnart, Sminthopsis bindi Carpentarian dunnart, Sminthopsis butleri Julia Creek dunnart, Sminthopsis douglasi Stripe-faced dunnart, Sminthopsis macroura Red-cheeked dunnart, Sminthopsis virginiae S. granulipes species-group White-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis granulipes S. griseoventer species-group Grey-bellied dunnart, Sminthopsis griseoventer S. murina species-group Kangaroo Island dunnart, Sminthopsis aitkeni Chestnut dunnart, Sminthopsis archeri Little long-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis dolichura Sooty dunnart, Sminthopsis fuliginosus Gilbert's dunnart, Sminthopsis gilberti White-footed dunnart, Sminthopsis leucopus Slender-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis murina S. psammophila species-group Hairy-footed dunnart, Sminthopsis hirtipes Ooldea dunnart, Sminthopsis ooldea Sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila Lesser hairy-footed dunnart, Sminthopsis youngsoni Additionally, three species are recognized by the American Society of Mammalogists:

Froggatt's dunnart, Sminthopsis froggatti Stalker's dunnart, Sminthopsis stalkeri Western Red-cheeked Dunnart, Sminthopsis nitela The American Society of Mammalogists also lists S. griseoventer as a synonym of S. fuliginosa, and moved S. longicaudata to the genus Antechinomys.

Description A male dunnart's Y chromosome is the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome.

Notes

References

External links Marsupial Society's checklist

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Dunnart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Dunnart claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Dunnart before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Dunnart ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Dunnart

In research: Dunnart appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Dunnart in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Dunnart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dasyuromorphs, Marsupials of Australia, Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Dunnart outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Dunnart in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Dunnart means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Dunnart out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dunnart in simple terms?

A dunnart (from Noongar donat) is a narrow-footed marsupial the size of a European mouse, of the genus Sminthopsis. Dunnarts have a largely insectivorous diet.

Why does Dunnart matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Dunnart?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Dunnart.